Harry Potter and the Heir of Gryffindor
by Keith Wilcoxon
Summary: Harry returns for his sixth year at Hogwarts with plenty to brood in his mind. Read and review. PG13 for now for language, but R later for descriptive battle scenes. All PreHBP!
1. Friend Or Foe?

Hello everybody! This is my first Harry Potter FanFic, so be nice. I have writeen some original things, but I have never posted anything online. Please respond to this. I am already working on the next few chapters, but I'm not going to post anyhting until I get some replies. Behind every good story are good readers. Please tell me how you feel about this story. Thank you.

-Keith-

* * *

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince  
by  
Keith Wilcoxon

Based on characters, themes, and settings of  
The Harry Potter Series  
by  
J.K. Rowling

Chapter 1

Friend or Foe?

Cornelius Fudge looked down from where he sat. "Now, Mister Malfoy, you realize that your disappearance at this particular time is highly inconceivable." Cornelius Fudge was sitting in his office where his desk sits high over the chairs in which any guest sat. Lucius Malfoy sat in front of him with fear on his face.

"Sir, I assure you that my absence from the ministry is only due to the fear for my poor family members. You know my history. You-know-who will not be pleased when he finds that I have defected to the Ministry of Magic. He will come after me."

"Yes, Lucius, I am well aware of your reasoning, but we cannot allow someone with your past to just run off for two months and give them a warm welcome."

"But, sir, I-"

"Sorry, Lucius. I see no other solution than to send you to Azkaban prison. However, it won't have quite the same effect since the dementors have gone. We will keep your family safe."

"No, sir, please." Lucius stood up straight now. "I swear, if you throw me in there you'll regret it."

"Is that a threat?" The Minister raised his voice out of pure spite for Malfo as well as his former master. At that time the wall of the Minister's office crashed down and light flooded in from the outside.

"Yes, it most certainly is a threat, Cornelius." Voldemort stood with his wand raised pointing at Fudge.

"V-v-vol-"

"Avada Kadavra!" A green light flew through the room and the Minister fell to the floor. "Come Lucius."

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius Malfoy walked through the open wall at the heel of Voldemort. The outside of the Ministry of Magic was lit up with a green light eminating from the Dark Mark left behind to mark the death and destruction of Lord Voldemort.

"Harry Potter!" Uncle Vernon shouted for Harry to come to the kitchen. "Harry Potter!" He repeated. "Harry-"

"Vernon, he's not here."

"Oh, yes, Petunia. I forgot." The absence of Harry Potter had been lingering for a few weeks over Number Four Privet Drive. Every year now their nephew had been leaving earlier and earlier. After events that ended his last year at Hogwart's, Vernon and Petunia agreed as to how much help it could be to have a knowledgeable wizard around. Especially now that they both understood what the return of Lord Voldemort truly meant to the world.

It was August 20th, and Harry had left on July 3rd. The Dursleys would never forget that day. Wizards. Wands. Powder. Vernon had spent countless dollars repairing the house that the others refused to fix.

"I guess I can get my own coffee then," Vernon said rising from the table. "Where is Dudley anyhow?" As if in response to his question, the doorbell rang. Aunt Petunia went to answer it. As soon as she opened the door, she let out a ghastly scream; Vernon dropped the coffee pot on the ground and ran to the living room to see what was wrong. Standing in the doorway was a phoenix and a small, bespectacled cat.

Petunia fainted, and Vernon yelled at the top of his lungs. "What are you doing back here?! What would you do if somebody saw you?!"

With a quick cloud of smoke, the animals disappeared and in walked Harry Potter and Minerva McGonagall with faces so serious they would stop even the happiest circus clown.

"W-what's going on?" Vernon stammered out.

"We need to talk," Minerva said, staring him straight in the eye. "Ministry of Magic officials have warned that you may be at risk."

"Risk of what? Two crazed wizards entering my house in the middle of the afternoon, causing such a ruckus that the neighborhood committee might throw me out?"

"This is not a time to joke, Uncle Vernon."

"We have reason to believe that someone in this neighborhood is not a muggle."

"Well, of course, that batty old woman, Mrs. Figg. Even I knew about her-"

"No, Mister Dursley, someone else. They have been sending leaks about our whereabouts to the Dark Lord. This person has led to-" A silence followed these words as Minerva and Vernon noticed Harry hanging his head down.

"Led to what?" Vernon asked, lowering his voice so that the neighbors don't wonder too much about what is occurring at the perfect Number Four, Privet Drive.

"They have led to a series of deaths including the Minister of Magic himself." Minerva had a look of worry on his face as he made this last statement. He knew that when Voldemort penetrated the Ministry of Magic it would be near impossible to stop him.

"That can't be it," Vernon said, "Harry wouldn't be sad about that old bloat. I can tell Harry hasn't ever gotten along with those Ministry crackpots!"

"That's not it, okay?" Harry yelled. "My best friend, Ron has been taken by Voldemort's servants, and we don't have any idea where he is or...or...or if he's even alive." Tears started to stream down Harry's face.

"Well, what does any of this have to do with us?" Vernon asked as Petunia started to rise, neither of them showing the least bit of remorse for their nephew or his odd little friend.

"We have knowledge that someone in Little Whinging had been receiving Wizarding lessons for the past eight years from old servants of Lord Volemort in preparation for this very time and event. This person has unlawfully been turning themselves into a part of the magic community. They express great talent for one that was first presumed to be merely a muggle.

"What does this have to do with me?!"

"We should have known immediately who the cause of these interferences was. Who else would have known the exact whereabouts of Harry? How else would they know to intercept our owls to you and your family? We have only been keeping you informed because, being Harry's guardians for so many years, we believed that you might have the least bit of worry for how his fate has turned out. Little did we expect that the one person to betray him would be one of the only people we have to blame for his being alive today, his own mother's sister, Petunia Dursley."

Everyone looked at Petunia who stood straight up and pulled a wand out from behind her back. With a loud crack, she was gone.


	2. Back To Number Twelve Grimauld Place

Chapter 2

Back to Number Twelve Grimauld Place

With the strange discovery that Petunia had absconded to the Dark Side without a single soul having the least bit of knowledge, Vernon Dursley did not know what to do. What would he tell Dudley? Would he stay at home? Is home even safe? And, even worse, what would he tell the neighbors? The perfection that usually reigned over the household of number four Privet Drive had suddenly disappeared with the immediate absence of the one woman who held it all together.

"Uncle Vernon?" Harry looked at his uncle who would not even acknowledge the presence of any other being.

"Come, Harry. Into the kitchen. Close the door, would you?" At these words of Minerva's, Harry Potter entered the one place he'd hoped that he'd never have to set foot in again. A few moments of awkaward silence fell over the kitchen with only Harry and Sirius occupying the space allotted for a much larger number of much larger people than they. After several more minutes, Vernon Dursley entered the room with a face so white even Sir Nicholas would consider him a ghost. At this moment the front door opened, and Dudley Dursley entered the hall.

"Evening, dad. Evening, mum," he called, heading up the stairs.

"Get in here, boy!" Vernon shouted after Dudley. Dudley came in with a look on his face that was as if he was an Olympian caught using steroids. He quickly glanced around.

"Where's mum?" He asked with a worried tone in his voice.

"Gone," Vernon replied, still staring straight down.

"What d'you mean? Gone? Is she finally out getting me my new Xbox?"

"No, you little twit. She's gone."

"What do you mean?" Dudley screamed, noticing Harry for the first time. Then he caught his eye on Minerva and saw her wand poking out of the robes she was wearing. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

"I am deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you, Mr. Dursley, had better watch your tongue. Your mother, since you asked so politely, has gone to join forces with the Dark Lord Voldemort. She will most likely be killed, either by us or him. She has been giving away vital secrets that have led to the death of Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." These words spewed out of her, giving both Dursleys present the amount of care and respect that they showed Harry.

At that point, a man that looked just like Vernon appeared out of nowhere. "Everything all right, Minerva?' He asked. "We noticed that someone disapparated."

"Yea, everything is fine. Petunia got away though, Doctor Markjin."

"Doctor? EVERYTHING IS FINE? Who are you? Why am I looking at myself? What's going on here?" Vernon started to ask questions before being cut off.

"Yes, I am a doctor. I am one of the highest trained wizards of the age. I myself got particularly high marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The only other person to ever match my score was James Potter himself. That is, until last years groups of O.W.L's" He looked at Harry then glanced down. Nothing of what Markjin had just said registered with Vernon, who was obviously still trying to figure out why this man looked like him.

"So, why do you look like me?" Vernon finally spat out.

"I, my friends, am an anthromagus."

"A what's-it?" Vernon was flabbergasted.

"An anthromagus." With this, Markjin changed into a tall, slender individual with two eyes of different color (one red and one hazel) and old clothes that barely fit him. "Sorry about my wardrobe. Unfortunately, only my body changes. I can change into any human being that I feel fit. This is a particularly useful trait to have. Unfortunately, my modifications are very closely monitored. It's a good thing I have Dumbledore checking to make sure I look like I'm being a good boy."

"Well, if you are such an useful person, why don't you just _poof_ yourself into this Lord Voldey guy and-"

"Because I have never met him. The only downside of this ability is that I must have personally met that person, or else I will always retain one of the features. That is why my eyes are different colors; I tried becoming Merlin. Nine out of ten times, I wouldn't even reach the state I was attempting."

"Mum's gone?" Dudley was sitting down now, looking at the table muttering to himself the same question over and over.

"Go to bed, Dudley. I'll talk to you in the morning," Vernon said to his son.

"That's not a good idea," Harry said, speaking the first words since he witnessed his Aunt's peculiar disapparation. "We need to take you with us."

"I won't have it!" Vernon shouted. "I will not allow you to take me or my son into this crazy world you live in!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Dr. Markjin said rising up with his wand in his hand. Another swish later and Vernon and Dudley were passed out on the floor. "Help me with these two, will you, Harry?"

"Are we flying back?"

"No, too risky. Remember your apparating lessons?"

"A little."

"Well, we have a little hope then. Repeat after me. _Suiverant Semper_."

"_Suiverant Semper_."

"Good, now cast that spell on your cousin, and I'll do the same to 'the old crackpot' here." They both performed the charm and Harry felt as if someone had tied a rope between him and Dudley that he could not break. "Now, let's go back to Number Twelve, shall we?" With this, Harry, Dr. Markjin, and the only two muggles that would ever see the inside of the Order of Phoenix headquarters diasappeared.

"Wake up, Harry! Wake up!" Hermione was screaming at Harry. "Time for breakfast."

"Huh? What happened? Where's Uncle Vernon?"

"In bed. You messed up the apparition. You came in upside-down. Took a nasty blow to the head. We had to break the following charm you put on him. Anyhow, come on, today's the day."

"Oh, yeah." Harry jumped out of bed and didn't even bother with changing out of his nightgown. He rushed down the stairs with Hermione to the kitchen. "It's so much nicer here without the portraits hanging. How did they ever manage to get them down?"

"Fred and George did it. They've developed a cure or the Sticking Charm. But it leaves a nasty smell. We couldn't enter this hall for weeks. You missed a lot being out."

"Field work, Hermione. It was all worth it."

"I know, Harry. I missed you." For a second, she and Harry caught eyes with each other.

"Harry, how lovely to see you. Awake." Dr. Markjin greeted them as they entered the kitchen. "You know, that apparition mistake didn't look good, but you were tired. It was understandable. Don't worry; your Uncle and cousin are in a room safe and sound. They have been filled in o what they need to know and nothing more."

"Good. I'm sure what you told them was more than enough for those two." Dr. Markjin smiled.

"Breakfast, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said. She did not have her usual chipper since her son had departed. "Sit down." Harry and Hermione sat and started in on the rhubarb pancakes set in front of them.

At the end of breakfast, the two of them returned to Harry's room. Harry began picking out an outfit for the day. When he found one, Hermione started out.

"You don't have to leave, you know. I'm comfortable. I know we're just friends." Hermione gave him a look that said Harry had just said something wrong and turned around.

"I'll stay, but I'll keep my back turned. Tell me when you're done." Harry pulled off his evening wear and slid his trousers and shirt on. Then he pulled out a nice silk dress robe to hang for the evening's ceremony. "Finished," he said, and Hermione turned around.

The rest of the day went by slowly and uneventful. Fred and George gave Harry the latest order list for their joke shop. "And remember, Harry, you always get 50 percent off!" Then Ginny came by to talk, but ran out of the room when she saw a picture of Ron next to Harry's bed. Finally, the evening was coming to a close and Harry heard people arriving every five minutes. He waited in his room with Hermione until he was called.

"Nervous?" She asked him.

"No," he lied. Finally after another thirty minutes that felt like five hours, Harry heard a knock at his door. Dumbledore entered his room.

"Harry, it is time. Miss Granger, I am afraid that you will have to sit this one out. I believe Ginny Weasley is waiting for you in her chamber. Come Harry." Harry followed Dumbledore down the stairs as Hermione whispered "Good luck" at him. They entered a room so vast that Harry could only compare its proportions to those of the great hall at Hogwarts. There were dozens of dozens of wizards sitting around and one small podium set in the center. Dumbledore took his seat at the front of the closest table to the podium. Next to him was Professor Snape.

"I, Severus Snape, secretary of the Order of the Phoenix now call this meeting to order. Presiding chair, Mister Albus Dmbledore."

"Thank you, Severus. The chair recognizes Mister Harry Potter. Mister Potter, would you please step onto the podium." Harry did. "Mister Potter, your case has been viewed by the members of the Order many times. After you last encounter with Lord Voldemort in June of this same year, we had decided to train you in preparation for anymore encounters. You training has been a great success. Therefore, given your past encounters with the Dark Forces and your great knowledge of magic, the members seated in front of you of the Order of the Phoenix have hearby decided by a unanimous decision to induct you into the Order of the Phoenix as a Class 2 member. Do you accept this honor and responsibility?"

"Yes, Mister Chairman."

"Then repeat after me: I, Harry Potter..."

"I, Harry Potter..."

"...do solemnly swear to uphold all proper uses..."

"...do solemnly swear to uphold all proper uses..."

"...of magic and its powers..."

"...of magic and its powers..."

"...to fight with all my power..."

"...to fight with all my power..."

"...for the ones I love..."

"...for the ones I love...."

"...and the ones I don't..."

"...and the ones I don't..."

"...and to protect every other member of the Order..."

"...and to protect every other member of the Order..."

"...even at the cost of my own life."

"...even at the cost of my own life."

"Mister Harry Potter, welcome to the Order of the Phoenix."


	3. OWL's and Nightmares

Chapter 3

O.W.L.'s and Nightmares

"Wow, Harry! Class 2, that's really great." Hermione had been waiting up in Harry's room for the meeting to end, obviously anxious to find out more information of what went on. "That means that the only person higher than you would be..."

"...Dumbledore. I know." Harry was beaming. He hadn't been this happy since he witnessed Professor Umbridge being brutally thrown out the Hogwarts last year by Peeves. "I don't reckon it'll make some of the other members too happy, though. The only other people that are Class 2 in the Order are Moody, Lupin, McGonagal, and Snape."

"That is great! Do you have an assignment yet?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Harry. What is it? Can I help in any way?"

"Yeah. I have to go to school." He and Hermione laughed. They had not been this excited for at least a week, and they were staring at each other with glee in their eyes.

"Oh, guess what Mrs. Weasley found. Dumbledore told us they were just running late, but I think he knew where they were."

"What? Oh, you don't mean. Did our O.W.L. results come?"

"Of course! Here's yours. I've been waiting to open mine with you, but, mind you, it's been difficult with it sitting right here. I've almost been in tears half of the time." She smiled at Harry and they both opened up their letters. First out, was a piece of paper addressed from Dumbledore, himself.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am pleased to congratulate you on your excellent achievement on last year's Ordinary Wizarding Level examination. It is my honor to congratulate you on earning one of the top five cumulative scores on this examination. This honor is shared by Cho Chang, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Padma Patil. It is in consequence of this great achievement that you and these four others will be traveling to the First Annual Wizarding Tournament being held outside Peoria, Illinois, United States of America. Other schools in attendance will be Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, Merlin's Academy of Exceptional Wizardry, the New York Wand Acadamy, and the United States Establishment of Modern Spells. You will receive more information regarding this tournament in future mailings.

It is also my great pleasure of informing you that you have scored the highest score in your grade level in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. Other high scores were Hermione Granger (Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and History of Magic), Neville Longbottom (Herbology), Draco Malfoy (Potions), and Parvati Patil (Divination).

Congratulations once again on your achievement, and I look forward to seeing you this fall.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry looked at Hermione who had already finished reading her letter. "Congratulations. What do you think this tournament is? Do you think it's smart with what's been happening lately?"

"I would suspect that's why they're having it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they are doing things to try to keep our minds off of what's going on around us. Also, if some of the best are over across the sea in America, then they are at less risk. I think that everyone knows what they are doing. So, we can trust them."

"I hope you're right, Harry. Now, let's get to looking at these O.W.L.'s?" They both pulled out the rest of their papers. The first paper showed nothing but a quick summary of his levels. This is all Harry cared about, yet he could see Hermione rummaging through all of the papers scattered in front of her muttering about how dumb she was to make those mistakes. Harry quickly scanned his top sheet. _Defense Against the Dark Arts-Superior (60). Potions-Outstanding (57). Charms-Outstanding (55). Divination-Exceeds Expectations (52). Care of Magical Creatures-Exceeds Expectations (48). Astronomy-Average (45). Transfiguration-Outstanding (59). Herbology-Outstanding (54). History of Magic-Exceeds Expectations (51)._

"Hermione, isn't the highest score supposed to be outstanding?"

"That's what I thought, but I have 'superiors' on mine."

"Yeah, me, too."

"Well, I guess it must be higher than Outstanding." Harry then pulled out his scoring sheet. This was the sheet that showed his scores compared to the average. _His cumulative score was a 53.4 (Outstanding). The average score for the students in his grade level at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a 38 (Acceptable). In the world, a 42 (Acceptable)._ "What did you get, Hermione?"

"I only got a 56.7 overall."

"A 56.7?!?! I was excited about my 53.4. It looks like a superior is a perfect score."

"Yes, it is. According to this sheet there is only one superior given out to a student in each subject around the world. If you get all the questions right your score sheet and test are sent to a committee that reviews your answers and picks one student to be a superior. All the others get a 59."

"I was superior in Defense Against the Dark Arts." Harry ignored that snort that said 'I told you so' coming from Hermione. "I have a 59 in Transfiguration. I guess that was good then."

"I only got a 58 there. I got a 57 in Defense Against the Dark Arts. My score in Herbology brought me down. I did well on the theory test, but the field score was too low. I ended up with a 49. At least I only got one E, though."

"Hermione, you were probably the top in our school. You shouldn't always beat yourself up. You're great, you know that." A moment of silence was felt between the two of them, during which Harry reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand.

"It's getting late," Hermione said with a jolt as Harry touched her.

"Yea—er—I guess we'd better get to bed." Hermione slowly pulled her hand away and backed out of the room.

"_It's nice to find you again, boy!" Bellatrix Black shouted._

"_Shut up. You killed Sirius, and now you want to kill me!" Harry knew he had nothing to fear. After his speech with Dumbledore, he knew that the only person that could kill him would be Voldemort himself. He was ready to do his worst to Bellatrix, and he was willing to accept anything she threw at him. Just hurting her is enough to pay her back. At that moment Ron came running up to him._

"_Harry, you can't do this. Especially in the middle of London. There could be muggles anywhere." Harry didn't care. He was ready to attack._

"_Come on, boy. Give me your worst," Bellatrix was coaxing him on. Harry stepped forward with his wand raised, but Ron stepped in front of him. "Get out of the way, idiot! This doesn't involve you."_

"_No!" Ron yelled, "I won't let you hurt Harry." He pulled out his wand at that moment, too._

"_Give me a break," Bellatrix said obviously exasperated at having to deal with Ron and Harry. "AVADA KADAVRA!"_

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry shouted, but he was too late. There was a bright flash of green light and Ron slumped down right in front of him. Harry broke down crying over Ron's limp body._

"_Get up. I won't bring myself to killing a child who won't even face me." Harry stood up with a look of pure fury in his eyes._

"_Good. Crucio," Bellatrix screamed pointing her wand at Harry's chest._

"_Protego!" Harry shouted and the spell bounced off. "YOU KILLED SIRIUS! EXPELLIARMUS!" Bellatrix was caught off guard and her wand flew thirty feet into the air and was knocked far off to the right of her as she flew back five feet. "YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! CRUCIO!" Bellatrix's body started to curl and twinge over and over. "FINITE!" She stopped._

"_Wha—how are you doing this?"_

"_AND NOW YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND! MORTE TOTALLUS!" A bright red light flashed through the area and swept through Bellatrix's heart. Her body flew into the air before her limbs were ripped in all four directions from her body and she fell back down, dead._

"Harry! Wake up, Harry!" Harry opened his eyes and saw Fred Weasley stooping over him. "You've been tossing and yelling for the last hour. What have you been dreaming about?" Harry wasn't able to bring himself to tell Fred that he had dreamt about, for what seemed like the twentieth time, seeing Ron's fall. "Hurry up, we're going into Diagon Alley today. We need to get the school supplies. Owls just came by today, and Moody says there's no better time than the present."

Harry got out of bed and began to get his clothes on. The dusty mirror of Phineas still stood in the corner and Harry could hear him talking from inside of it. When Harry had finished, he went down the stairs. There waiting for him at the bottom were Tonks and Lupin.  
"Ready?" Tonks asked, beaming at Harry. Her hair was a bright shade of neon green.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"One more thing, Harry," Moody interjected into the conversation. "You left in such a hurry last night I couldn't get this on you."

"Get what on me?" At this point, Moody grabbed Harry's right arm, touched his wand to Harry's shoulder, and said 'pyramark'. Harry felt a slight burning sensation on his arm. When Moody released his hold, Harry pulled his robe up to see what he had done. When Harry got it up to his shoulder he saw a small bird ink mark.

"It's the mark of the Order," Moody said. "Only those Class 3 and higher wear it. We are the ones allowed into all of the meetings. Everyone else carries a small coin around with them that will vibrate when there is a meeting being called." Harry was briefly reminded of the galleons they used last year for the D.A. meetings. "You must never tell anyone what that is. Not even you friends, do you understand me? They won't see it anyhow. The mark of the Order is protected under Dumbledore as the secret keeper. The only people that will see it are those that are in the Order and those whom Dumbledore has personally told about it. Now, shall we meet the others for a day of shopping?"

"How are we getting there?"

"Portkey," Tonks said almost immediately, "Keep it down, though; the ministry doesn't know." When they got into the kitchen there were three empty pots on the table and everyone was standing around. Harry got the slight impression that he was running late that morning.

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, "now that we're all here. Let's go. On the count of three, everyone. One—two—three." Harry felt the all too familiar jerk at his navel and when he felt his feet hit solid ground again, he found himself in a crowd of bustling people. He didn't recognize any of them, but he did know, however, that, wherever he was, it sure wasn't Diagon Alley.


	4. The Alley

Chapter 4

The Alley

Harry looked in all directions, trying to figure out where on earth this portkey had taken him. He caught draft of a very familiar scent and turned to find the Hog's Head bar. Instantly, he realized where he was, but how did he get there? Why was it that the rest of the party apparently ended up in London when he had traveled all the way to Hogsmeade? He did not know the answers to any of these questions, but he only knew one place to go when he is in this place: Hogwarts. He headed towards the train station when he suddenly realized that he had been there thirty minutes and had heard no trains. He got to where the station was usually located and saw, in its place, a carriage company. _That's strange_, Harry thought. He walked up to the window.

"What can I help thee with, young lad?" The man behind the counter was giving Harry a very odd look. Harry ignored, as he was used to being stared at by this time.

"I would like to go to Hogwarts, please."

"I am very much sorry, sir. Where is it that ye would like to go?"

"Hogwarts. You know. That big castle over there?"

"Oh, ye mean Master Gryffindor's place. That will be 4 knuts." Harry surprised at the low price, pulled out some coins from his pocket. The man stared at the small handful of gold galleons Harry had in his hand.

"Can you make change for a sickle?" Harry asked.

"Yes, sir," the man replied, still slightly in awe of Harry. "Ye may board, master." Harry gave the man an odd look before getting on the carriage. "For one knut ye may purchase a copy of this day's herald." Harry agreed and handed the man a bronze piece. The man gave Harry a yellowed parchment with ink on one side only. Harry put the paper on his side as the carriage took off. He knew this ride would be a while as it was a ten minute train ride from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts, so he picked up the paper and almost screamed at what he saw.

"Salazar Slytherin recruited as third founder!" Harry blinked repeatedly, unable to believe what he was reading. He glanced towards the top of the page to find a date. "July 3, 1423" _What the fuck?_ Harry thought. He kept reading the article. "Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw have agreed upon the third founder for England's newest school for Wizarding. They have chosen Salazar Slytherin who will help fund this great endeavor. Although they have not yet decided on the fourth and final founder, there is talk that Godric Gryffindor will be chosen. The site for the school also must be decided." Harry was jolted up from reading as the carriage pulled to a stop. Harry hadn't even realized that they were at Hogwarts until now. As he got out of the carriage a man in a very elegant scarlet dress robe greeted him and opened the giant doors Harry was so used to walking through.

"May I help you, sir?" Another scarlet-dressed man asked Harry as he entered.

"Yes, my name is Harry Potter, and I-"

"Yes, sir. The master has been expecting you. Follow me." The servant took off with Harry closely at his heels. Harry noticed that there were many differences about this castle. The layout seemed to be the same, but it lacked all of the magical attributes that made Hogwarts, Hogwarts. Harry has always read that Hogwarts was built from scratch in Hogwarts, a History, but he could not expect a book to be flawless. The servant stopped in front of a certain gargoyle statue that Harry was all to familiar with. The servant said, "sugar drops," and the gargoyle sprang to life. Instead of a staircase spiraling upward, however, there was a wall that opened in the wall behind the statue. "Inside, sir," the butler said to Harry, motioning for him to go inside.

Harry entered into the hole which immediately closed up behind him. He found himself in a very tall room that resembled the headmasters office. There was only one blank picture on the wall, and there were no strange contraptions on tables. Instead, there were many hunting devices hanging up. There were suits of armor standing against the walls, and there was a large desk in the center of the room. Behind the desk sat a man in a large scarlet velvet-upholstered chair. A man that Harry immediately recognized from the many pictures he had seen of him.

"Godric Gryffindor," Harry said.

"Yes, it is I," the man replied. "It is a great pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Harry Potter."

"You know me?"

"Of course I know you. I keep in constant contact with Albus Dumbledore."

"How?"

"A spell that remarkable man created himself. It takes a strong wizard to be able to create entire spells, but obviously you possess the ability, too. Yes, he told me about the very strange spells you have conjured up in anger, shall we say? This, however, is not why I pulled you in here. I wanted to explain a few things to you. I know everything that has occurred in the recent years. I even know that you have defied the heir of my enemy Salazar Slytherin. This pleases me greatly," he added with a familiar glint in his eye. "I also know that I will be selected as the fourth founder of the school that will be known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yes, Harry, I even know that it will be built right here by adding onto my castle. I, however, am worried for your safety."

"Why?"

"Because you are a friend of Albus, and Albus is a friend of mine. He is afraid that he would not have enough time to get you completely ready for everything that may be in store for you, so he asked me to do this."

"Forgive me for interrupting, sir, but what, exactly, is this?"

"This is a spell I made up specifically for you, having the faith that you would be able to keep this a complete secret, and that it would not affect your mental status in any way. I, unfortunately, had to wait for you to grab onto a portkey, so I told Albus to set that up. Now, the way this works is that I have pulled you out of time. You can stay here for years upon years, but when you are returned to normal time it will be the exact moment you left that time, and you will finish that portkey destination. However, you will have aged however much you age here. Stay here until you are fifty, and your friends will have a fifty-year-old sixth year with them at school."

"Why are you doing all of this though?"

"So I can train you. I was told to not keep you for more than a year if need be. However, from what I am told of you, this should not take more than a month. I am to train you since there is no time back when you came from. You obviously need some sleep, but, first, there is someone I would like you to meet. Harry Potter, I would like to introduce you to Merlin." He pointed to the picture frame behind him which was then taken up immediately by the wizard Harry knew was the great Merlin.

"Hello, Harry."

"H-h-hello, sir," Harry replied and bow deeply.

"Oh, get up. Do not humble yourself for me. Godric here has told me a lot about you. I have been here for quite a few of his conversations with Albus Dumbledore."

"Oh, so I guess you've heard about the stuff I've done?" Harry asked, hanging his head a ilittle lower still.

"Yes, I have, and I am proud of you."

"Proud? I killed someone."

"Yes, but it required the development of one of the most powerful spells I have ever heard of. The fact that you feel remorse is better than if you had never created the spell in the first place."

"I guess you are right."

"Well, Harry," Godric said, "it's about time you got off to bed. Go outside, and the servant will take you to your chambers. I will see you in the morning. Good evening"

"Good night, sirs," Harry said, and started out.

"Oh, and Harry?" Merlin added.

"Yes, sir?"

"Call me us by our first names. We're all friends here."

"Okay...Merlin. Good night, Godric."

"Good night," they said in unison. With that Harry was gone.

"What did I tell you, Merlin? He's not that bad of a kid, is he?"

"No, he's not. I am proud to call the two of you family, Godric."

* * *

Okay, now, let's get some responses up. Chapter five coming soon.


	5. Vermagi

Chapter 5

Vermagi

Where am I? _Harry thought to himself, looking around. He recognized the walls, or actually the scratches on the walls. _How did I get to the shrieking shack? _He wondered. Then he remembered the argument. He was still extremely mad at him, and he could feel the blood curdling inside of his body. How could Dumbledore do that? Harry knew that he had to learn to fend for himself. He would use the book he had found to learn the magic inside. First, however, he was going to find a way to get back at people. He had to take revenge on Lestrange. He took out his wand and the spell book he had shrunk in his pocket. He opened to the page for conjuring small animals. Luckily he had practiced this; he knew it was going to be a hard spell and he had been working on it since school let out._

_He practiced the wand movement a few times before actually casting the spell. "_Nerenti Mammar_," he said, and a small ball fell out of his wand and morphed into a opossum. "_Now, to make you suffer." _He already knew that he could cast the cruciatus curse. He had accidentally cast it on Kreacher earlier this summer. _Let's get a spell to kill_, he thought. He remembered the few Latin lessons he and Dudley shared as children. He knew the word for death is 'morte,' but a quick death was too good for these people. He remembered the total petryfying charm: Petrifcus Totallus. He decided to bond the two together. _How about Morte Totallus_, he thought. He concentrated hardly on what he wanted, pointed his wand at the animal and shouted, "_Morte Totallus_." The opossum flew into the air and fell back down. The only thing that happened was that it pissed the little marsupial off._

_The animal ran at Harry and scratched his leg. "_You little fucker_!" Harry yelled. "_Morte Totallus_!" This time that animal flew into the air and landed on the ground passed out. _That's better_, Harry thought. He waited for the opossum to start moving and figured that he would need to be extremely mad at the creature for this spell to work. He shot sparks repeatedly at the animal until it got so mad that it charged Harry again. Harry kicked it away to make it even madder. This time it jumped at harry and bit his hand. Harry waved his arm, trying to throw the opossum off of himself, but it would budge. Finally, Harry hit the opossum on a wall and his arm began throbbing with pain. _That's it_, Harry thought, and he yelled, "_Morte Totallus!" _This time the opossum flew high into the air and its tail was ripped off its body as it came to a stop, completely dead. Harry figured that this spell would only get better the angrier he was. All of the sudden, however, Harry scar was throbbing with pain. He shut his eyes, hard trying to kill the pain, but it wouldn't go away. When it only got worse his eyes shot open and saw, standing over him,_

"-Salazar Slytherin. Harry, did you hear me? I would like you to meet Salazar Slytherin." Harry awoke from his dream. He looked up and saw Slytherin himself sitting across the room.

"Hello," Slytherin said. "Mister Potter, I presume. Such pleasure to make your acquaintance." Harry realized why his house was represented with a snake. Slytherin seemed to linger on all of his "s's" and he had a way of talking without moving his mouth very much. This reminded Harry of Lucius Malfoy. "Godric, here, has told me plenty about you. Visiting from Surrey, was it? Hope you come from a pure family. Don't know of many wizards in that area." He squinted his eyes at Harry, obviously angry that there was no response yet. "Well? Are you taught not to talk to strangers? Don't worry; I won't bite you. I'm only here for a little while anyhow. I understand we are to have lunch in a few moments. Am I correct, Godric?" Slytherin took his eyes off of Harry for the first time since they met.

"Yes, that is correct, Salazar," Godric replied with a coy smile. He had a certain air around him. He was friendly enough to invite a conversation, but Harry was sure this man could use his bare hands to rip him apart. Which was nothing compared to what he could do with a wand. "You go on ahead, Salazar, I would like to talk to Harry alone for a while. We will be right in." Slytherin cast one more glance at Harry before he reluctantly walked out of the room.

"I don't like him," Harry said the moment the door was shut.

"I know, Harry, but he will be here for a while. I have to convince him that I will be the best choice for the school that he wants to build."

"All right," Harry said, "I just wish I could take care of him now. If he doesn't give birth, then—"

"No, Harry. You must not fiddle with time!" Harry remembered about the time turner Hermione used during their third year at Hogwarts. Had they not "fiddled" with time, then Sirius would be...well, at least his name will be clean soon. "Harry, what I would like to teach you should only take three months."

"Excuse me, sir, but what is it that you would like to teach me?" Harry asked. He was still a little angry that Dumbledore was still keeping things from him, especially something as big as his being absent from his own time for months at a time.

"Harry, Dumbledore told me about your entire history. He has informed me that this Voldemort has only one problem with killing you: you are protected under a certain magic that he does not quite understand. This "old magic" as Albus calls it, was cast upon you by your mother. The problem is that Albus, nor anyone around him, knows this magic either. Only a few select wizards today know how to harness the true energy. So, there would be even less in your time. This magic, though it is very strong, has unfortunately died down. I, however, happen to be very knowledgeable in this area of magic. It is my job to teach you how to harness this energy. The magic is called 'Vermagi', which translates as 'True Magic'. The first thing about True Magic is that you will not use your wand. True Magic comes straight from your heart, which is why it is so strong. Therefore, I must ask you to hand me your wand."

"What? Sir, with all due respect, I do not wish to give it to you. This wand has gotten me out of so much."

"Harry, if you cannot master the strength to part with it, then I am afraid that you will never grasp True Magic. Please, relinquish your wand." Harry slowly pulled his wand out and, giving it one last look, handed it to Gryffindor. "Good. Now, off to lunch." Godric put the wand in a case on the hearth of the fireplace, and the two of them headed out the door to meet Slytherin in the dining hall.

Lunch was nearing an end, and Harry had taken a slight liking to Slytherin. Although his obsession with the requirement that all wizards should be of pure blood was overwhelming, he was not nearly as bad as either Malfoy or Voldemort. Harry figured that this attitude would have changed if he thought Harry was half-blood.

"Well, Godric," Slytherin said as they were finishing off their delicious pecan pies, "I have a strong feeling that you will be perfect for the position of headmaster. As for helping us found the school itself, I will have to speak to Helga and Rowena. I will get back to you soon." With this, Slytherin started to rise.

"Thank you very much," Gryffindor replied rising immediately as Slytherin began his slow ascension, motioning Harry to follow suit.

"Harry, it has been a pleasure to meet you," Slytherin said when he finally got to full height.

"Yes, sir. I have found it much more pleasurable than imagined," Harry said sticking out his hand for Slytherin. Slytherin reached forward to shake it, but as he got within a few inches he stopped. He shot a glance at Harry narrowing his eye. Something kept him from touching the boy. He drew his hand back and said, "Maybe our next meeting will call for such informalities. For now, I must simply bow to you and wish you luck in your future endeavors. Good day." With this, Slytherin was gone.

Gryffindor stood staring at Harry. "Harry, did you know he couldn't touch you?"

"No. I just wanted to shake his hand."

"Harry, you must already have a strong inner magic. Has anything strange ever happened around you when you weren't casting spells?"

"Plenty. Would you like the short list or the long list?"

"Neither. Harry, this is the magic I spoke of, the magic that lies within you. I have a feeling that I do not have much to teach you. I have some business to attend to this evening. We will begin early tomorrow morning. Get plenty of sleep. You will be run hard tomorrow. I hope to keep you for as little time as possible. Although this is an instantaneous spell, it can be detected. The longer you're here, the easier it will be. Tonight, I encourage you to take my private carriage into Hogsmeade. See what's there, and get some robes more fitting for this time. Here is a small allowance." He handed Harry ten galleons.

"Sir," Harry replied, eyeing the small amount of cash in his hands, "what can I get with this?"

"Harry, you are hundreds of years in the past. Money is a lot more valuable right now. These ten galleons should get you more than enough to wear around. Ask for a personal tailor at Fabriggio's. It's an Italian shop, but don't let that discourage you." With a wink, he turned and left the room. Harry looked around. This room looked vaguely familiar. It was then that he realized that he was standing in the exact spot of the future great hall.

"I wanna go to Hogsmeade," Harry said to no one in particular. In an instant a man in scarlet dress robes appeared.

"Follow me, sir." Harry walked after the man who led Harry to a carriage awaiting him outside the mansion.

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I would like to continue this story. Of course, this is all pre-HBP. I found it sittin around collecting dust and was wondering if there is anyone who would be interested in reading on were I to finish it. Either that, or I will begin working on a 7th book fanfic. Readers respond!


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